It’s something Boothbay Region Elementary School baseball players haven’t heard in a couple of years, but “Play Ball!” will be heard this spring as the team returns to Busline League action. Thirteen players have signed up and Boothbay Region High School educational technician Smith Climo will coach the team.

Last spring, Climo approached BRES officials about the lack of a team. He indicated he’d be interested in coaching the middle school team in the future. He believed the lack of one meant doom for Boothbay baseball.

“I love coaching football, but I’m a baseball guy. I know without a grammar school team it won’t be long before there is no high school team,” Climo said.

...ROCKLAND — In the spirit of community collaboration and teamwork taught through youth sports, Fuller Chevrolet will support Oceanside Little League through the Chevy Youth Baseball Program.

The sponsorship will include monetary and equipment donations during the 2017 youth baseball season.

Chevy Youth Baseball is a grassroots initiative that establishes a positive relationship between local dealers and the communities they serve.

Fuller Chevrolet will sponsor Oceanside Little League as a part of Chevrolet’s nation-wide commitment to support youth sports, one community at a time. Over the course of the season, Fuller Chevrolet also will donate Chevrolet-branded equipment to the league

BIDDEFORD — Biddeford Little League enjoyed one of its most successful seasons in the 2016 spring, and is preparing for another year of fun as opening day approaches.

The number of players have stayed consistent for the most part, the coaches and volunteers have continued to work hard, and the city is inching closer to kicking things off next Saturday at May Street and Hill Street.

Despite late snowstorms this winter, the Biddeford Little League representatives and volunteers have worked hard to settle the fields, and are hoping to have things 100 percent clear for opening day.

“As far as the fields go we are already using them for practice, but the fields are a little bit soft,” said Biddeford Little League President Dan Michaud. “On the baseball side our volunteers maintain the fields, the city takes care of the softball fields and as of last week the softball field on May Street still had quit a bit of snow on it, it’s surrounded by shade so it takes a little longer. We’re hoping it will clear off in the next week.”

Wrigley Field replica opens with fanfareFacility's big day arrives with dedication ceremony.

WATERVILLE — Fran Purnell looked at the new youth baseball field, the second one on this spot to bear his name, and smiled.

“It’s just unbelievable,” Purnell said. “I told them we had a perfectly good field and they don’t have to do that, but they wanted to. It blew my mind. It really blew my mind.”

On Saturday morning, Purnell Wrigley Field was dedicated and then officially hosted its first games. The field is a youth-baseball sized replica of Chicago’s Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs, who won the World Series last fall for the first time since 1908. The rebuilding of Purnell Field began last summer, when the artificial turf was installed. The now completed field features a replica of Wrigley’s famous center field scoreboard. The clock on the Purnell Wrigley scoreboard is forever set to 12:47, the time of day when the Cubs clinched their World Series win last November.

WATERVILLE - The Purnell Wrigley Field project went through months of hurdles and calls for fundraising, at times making it seem unlikely it could get done. But at Saturday's grand opening, staged nearly a year to the day after the project's announcement, the man whose namesake graces the project was left amazed.

BIDDEFORD — The city of Biddeford kicked off its 2017 Little League season this Saturday, and the community looks forward to hitting the diamond this upcoming spring.

Players, coaches, board members and family poured into the fields at Hill Street and May Street to take part in the celebration. Other guests included Biddeford Mayor Alan Casavant, as well as Biddeford’s Tiger mascot who delivered the ceremonial first pitch at Hill Street.

Other attendees were members of last year’s 11-12 year old all-star team, that was the District 4 champion and state runner up last summer. Members of the club raised their District champions flag in center field for fans to see.

Oceanside Little League baseballDramatic finish: Elks, Burns power past Fisher with comeback title victoryTwo-run home run in the bottom of final inning lifts No. 1 team over No. 2 squad

ROCKLAND — High drama played out on E. Allen Gordon Field on Tuesday night, June 13 and for one team — and especially one of its young players — that electric final performance in a storybook season included an unforgettable championship ending.With the Oceanside Little League baseball title in the balance, No. 2 Fisher Engineering clung to a 3-2 lead with two out, one runner on base and two strikes on the batter in the bottom of the sixth inning.Click for photos from the championship game.Watch video below.

UNION — Despite not being the top seed, Warren found itself in the driver’s seat on Wednesday night, June 14 in the Medomak Valley Little League baseball championship game against the No. 1 Wildcats.

Warren, the second seed in the double-elimination postseason tournament, broke the title game open late and, coupled with some timely hitting and head's-up base running, swung to a 10-2 win and, ultimately, the league crown.

THOMASTON — The coaches of the eight Midcoast Babe Ruth League teams have selected the players that will represent the league in the upcoming 14-year-old and 15-year-old District 2 all-star tournaments. Both tournaments will be played from Thursday, July 6 through Sunday, July 9 at the Oceanside High School Field in Thomaston.

The Midcoast 14-year-old all-stars include Jonah Carlson and Joey Curtis from Georges Valley, Tim Farrelly and Nathan Coombs from Rockland Ford, Ethan Reed and Clayton Belcher from Waldoboro, Adam Sirios and Joel Pitcher from Damariscotta Lions, Brandon Cournoyer and Dylan Abbott from Penobscot Bay Dentistry, True Crane and Jason Greenleaf from Granite Coast Orthodontics, Sam Moody and Aiden Schecter from P.G. Willey. Brian Second from Rockland Ford will serve as the team’s manager while Matthew Shields of Georges Valley and Tim Moody from P.G. Willey will be the team’s assistant coaches.